Eric Taussig: Moultonborough school district should defer to sign ordinance

To The Daily Sun,

Some 15 years ago when I served on the Moultonborough Planning Board and headed the board’s Sign Revision Committee, the board approved a revised Town Sign Ordinance after a special petitioned Town Meeting prohibiting new electronic signage.

Now the town’s school district is proposing a hideous looking electronic sign at the gateway to the village at the intersection of Route 25 and Blake Road, directly opposite the unkempt Dollar General and just past the exit to the elementary school.

As this proposal is substantially a "government use" of property, the town/SAU can do as it desires and ignore the town's sign ordinance, but historically in the interest of public input the town has deferred to the appropriate procedural process by substantially complying with its own ordinances.

Considering the location of the sign at the gateway to the village zone and in the interest of not replicating North Conway, I would urge that the Planning Board at its July 13 meeting direct enforcement of the sign ordinance and request that the SAU defer to the existing sign ordinance prohibiting electronic signage as approved at the 2008 Town Meeting. Internally illuminated signs, let alone electronic/digital message signs, are not permitted in the Village Center Overlay District as per the zoning ordinance. The necessity of such a sign to replace the existing sign has not been demonstrated. One would hope that the SAU would show deference to the sign ordinance and not further desecrate the town with unneeded electronic signage.

Eric Taussig

Moultonborough